SubSippi

They are definitely diploma mills that make our whole profession look bad. People who went there for school always defend them because nobody wants to admit that their education was subpar. I know you don't want to get a BSN, so hopefully you can find a reputable program that works for you. But if not, consider it. You owe it to yourself and to your future patients to get a good education!

UAB is a great school. I'm in school there now and the teachers are all very supportive and invested. I'm also local to the school and I can also tell you that they have a reputation for producing well-prepared graduates. Aside from all that, the most important thing about UAB is they line up all of your clinicals for you. If you have preceptors you'd like to use the school will establish a contract with them, but otherwise they will do it for you. I'm relatively new in town and don't have a single contact, and I haven't had to do any of the work of finding a preceptor myself. Which is the way it SHOULD be since I am paying them tuition!! USA is a decent school from what I know but it doesn't have the same reputation as UAB. And they make you find your own preceptors.

My orientation date isn't until June 15-16, but I live in Birmingham and wanted to let you know to park in lot 5A. It's at the corner or University and 16th St., just a couple blocks down from the school of nursing building

I just got accepted for the PMHNP track! I'm super excited! Are any of y'all local to Birmingham?

Well that's good to hear. I'm nervous enough as it is about trying to be a nurse again in some random ICU, lol.

I've been unemployed for 16 months, due to having a baby and then a move across the country, among several other reasons. I'm finally able to get a job again, but it's looking like my only option right now is going to be PRN work. My clinical background is almost a full year of telemetry nursing, and then 2.5 years of working in a CVICU. I am really nervous about jumping into an ICU with minimal training, but I'm worried I might not even be able to get a job because of my gap in employment. Will it count against me too much? I live in an area that usually has a pretty good job market for nurses, for what it's worth.

Don't feel guilty. If that patient was feeling well enough to be such a turd then you were obviously doing something right!

Which often begs the question... If someone is vegan AND does Crossfit, which one do they talk about first?

I'm also more of an easy going person who works in an ICU...my solution? Night shift.

I've heard stories about there being orders for a glass of wine at bedtime (to help with sleep).

I currently work for a director with a business background. He is very hands off when it comes to the nurses. I think in the year I've worked for him, I've gotten a total of two emails from him.

You're right. Nurses get paid exactly what they deserve and shouldn't complain.

Twist the tube between your fingers a little bit the whole way down, not just when you're trying to get over the hump. It'll help the tube glide down past the tongue instead of getting caught in the mouth.

If you ask yourself all of Lev's questions, you should be able to figure out what the rhythm is. Unfortunately there aren't very make tips or quick fixes, it's the kind of thing that just takes practice. If there are specific rhythms you're having trouble with I may be able to be more help, but the whole topic is a little too broad for me to think of suggestions that may be helpful to a student.

I would still go to the interview...it would be good practice and get you used to the kinds of questions that you'll be asked. I'm saying this because I acted like a total weirdo in the first interview, and I was really glad it wasn't for a job I was really excited about. Each one I had after that I got a little better.

In my unit we all fight over nights. It's much calmer most of the time...not to mention without night differential, we pretty much get paid a teacher's salary. And we don't get holidays and the whole summer off.

The only places you're not going to see ethnic tensions are those where everyone is the same ethnicity.

On behalf of all people who get pimples on their head, face, and everywhere else, I apologize that sometimes you have to look at us. I can't imagine the pain you must feel every time you work with this nurse. And now maybe a representative from the warts/moles sector of Skin Problems Anonymous can offer this user a much deserved apology. Just so we can make sure the buzz cut nurse is covered from all angles.

For the record, I have an all black Littmann cardiology III and nobody has stolen it in the three years I've been a nurse. But no, nobody will care about the color of your stethoscope. When I see a nurse with a brightly colored one, I assumed it's to keep it from getting stolen.

It sounds to me like your patient was finally able to get some good sleep. Her heart rate probably didn't drop like that the previous nights because she was tossing and turning. I would expect a drop in heart rate like that on a sleeping patient who just received a beta blocker.

Put a fake security camera in the corner.

I come to work with no makeup and my hair in a messy bun on top of my head. I consider this to be a job perk.

It's unfortunate that a bruised up arm has completely overshadowed the fact that her sister-in-law's life had been saved.

I like being a nurse, but I wouldn't do it all over again. If I had rich parents, I would like to have gone to med school. I kind of just went to nursing school on a whim (I'm the one that all the people who can't get into nursing school can't stand).

I'm not in the business of begging grown people to take a bath. Of course, I let them know that they can always change their mind. I do like to ask if it's a pain issue (I work in a CVICU, lots of post-op pain) and let them know we can wait until their pain meds set in.